Non-Discrimination Policy

Arizona Ombudsman Office

R4-26-310

A. If the Board determines, after a hearing conducted under A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6, Article 10, after an informal interview under A.R.S. § 32-2081(K), or through an agreement with the Board, that to protect public health and safety and ensure a licensee’s ability to engage safely in the practice of psychology, it is necessary to require that the licensee practice psychology for a specified term under the supervision of another licensee, the Board shall enter into an agreement with the licensee regarding the disciplinary supervision.

B. Payment between a supervisor and supervisee.

1. A licensed psychologist who enters into an agreement with the Board or is ordered by the Board to practice psychology under the supervision of another licensee may pay the supervising licensee for the supervisory service; and

2. A licensed psychologist who provides supervisory service to a licensed psychologist who has been ordered by the Board or entered into an agreement with the Board to practice psychology under supervision may accept payment for the supervisory service.

C. A licensed psychologist who supervises a licensed psychologist who has entered an agreement with the Board or been ordered by the Board to practice psychology under supervision is professionally responsible only for work specified in the agreement or order.

R4-26-101

A. The definitions in A.R.S. § 32-2061 apply to this Chapter.

B. Additionally, in this Chapter:

1. “Additional examination” means an examination administered by the Board to determine the competency of an applicant and may include questions about the applicant’s knowledge and application of Arizona law, the practice of psychology, ethical conduct, and psychological assessment and treatment practices.

2. “Administrative completeness review” means the Board’s process for determining that an applicant has provided all of the information and documents required by the Board to determine whether to grant a license to the applicant.

3. “Advertising” means any media used to disseminate information regarding the qualifications of a psychologist or to solicit clients or patients for psychological services, regardless of whether the psychologist pays for the advertising. Methods of advertising include a published statement or announcement, directory listing, business card, personal resume, brochure, or any electronic communication conveying the psychologist’s professional qualifications or promoting use of the psychologist’s professional services.

4. “Applicant” means an individual requesting licensure, renewal, or approval from the Board.

5. “Application packet” means the forms and documents the Board requires an applicant to submit to the Board.

6. “Applied psychology,” as used in A.R.S. § 32-2071(A), means the practice of psychology in the area of health service delivery. The Board shall consider education and training in applied psychology as qualification for licensure only if the education and training meet the standards specified in A.R.S. § 32-2071.

7. “Case,” in the context of R4-26-106 (G), means a legal cause of action instituted before an administrative tribunal or in a judicial forum that relates to a psychologist’s practice of psychology.

8. “Case conference” means a meeting that includes the discussion of a particular client or patient or case that is related to the practice of psychology.

9. “Client or patient record” means “adequate records” as defined in A.R.S. § 32-2061(2), “medical records” as defined in A.R.S. § 12-2291 (6), and all records pertaining to assessment, evaluation, consultation, intervention, treatment, or the provision of psychological services in any form or by any medium.

10. “Complaint Screening Committee” means the committee of the Board established under A.R.S. § 32-2081 (H) to conduct an initial review of all complaints.

11. “Confidential record” means:

a. Minutes of an executive session of the Board;

b. A record that is classified as confidential by a statute or rule applicable to the Board;

c. All materials relating to an investigation by the Board, including a complaint, response, client or patient record, witness statement, investigative report, and any other information relating to a client’s or patient’s diagnosis, treatment, or personal or family life; and

d. The following regarding an applicant or licensee:

i. College or university transcripts;

ii. Home address, home telephone number, and e-mail address;

iii. Examination scores;

iv. Date of birth

v. Place of birth;

vi. Social Security number; and

vii. Candidate identification number for the national examination required under A.R.S. § 32-2072(A).

12. “Credentialing agency” means the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, or the American Board of Professional Psychology.

13. “Day” means a calendar day except in A.R.S. § 32-2075(A)(4), “day” means a total of eight hours in providing psychological services regardless of the number of calendar days over which the hours are accumulated.

14. “Diplomate or specialist” means a status bestowed on a person by the American Board of Professional Psychology after successful completion of the work and examinations required.

15. “Directly available,” as used in A.R.S. § 32-2071 (F)(2), means immediately available in person or by telephone or electronic transmission.

16. “Disaster,” as used in A.R.S. § 32-2075(A)(4), means a contingency or situation for which the governor declares a state of emergency under the authority provided at A.R.S. § 35-192. The Board acknowledges any state of emergency declared by the governor or determined by the Board.

17. “Dissertation” means a document prepared as part of a graduate doctoral program that includes, at a minimum, separate sections that:

a. Review the literature on the psychology topic being investigated and state each research question and hypothesis under investigation;

b. Describe the method or procedure used to investigate each research question or hypothesis;

c. Describe and summarize the findings and results of the investigation;

d. Discuss the findings and compare them to the relevant literature presented in the literature review section; and

e. List the references used in the various sections of the dissertation, a majority of which are either journals of the American Psychological Association, Psychological Abstracts, or classified as a psychology subject by the Library of Congress.

18. “Fellow” means a status bestowed on a person by a psychology association or society.

19. “Gross negligence” means an extreme departure from the ordinary standard of care.

21. “Last client or patient activity,” as used in R4-26-106, means the last date a particular client or patient received direct clinical contact from the psychologist retaining the client’s or patient’s record.

22. “License period” means the two years between May 1 of one odd-numbered year and April 30 of the next odd-numbered year.

23. “National examination” means the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology provided by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.

24. “Party” means the Board, an applicant, a licensee, or the state.

25. “Primarily psychological,” in the context of A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(6), means subject matter that covers the practice of psychology as defined in A.R.S. § 32-2061 (9).

26. “Psychologist on staff,” as used in A.R.S. § 32-2071(F)(2), means a psychologist who is designated by the staff psychologist specified in A.R.S. § 32-2071(F)(1) to fulfill the responsibilities of a supervising psychologist in the training program.

R4-26-102

B. Officers elected under subsection (A) shall take office on January 1 following election and serve until December 31.

C. If a vacancy occurs in the office of chairperson, vice chairperson, or secretary, the Board shall elect a replacement officer at the next scheduled Board meeting.

R4-26-103

Repealed

R4-26-104

A. As permitted under A.R.S. § 32-2064(B), the Board chairperson may appoint Board committees to assist the Board to fulfill the Board’s responsibilities.

B. The Board may appoint consulting committees to conduct investigations and make recommendations to the Board concerning official actions.

R4-26-105

A. A person may view public records in the Board office only during business hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.

B. All Board records are open to public inspection and copying except confidential records as defined in R4-26-101 or as otherwise provided by law.

R4-26-106

A. A psychologist shall not condition release of a client or patient record on payment for services by the client, patient, or a third party.

B. Except as provided in subsection (C), a psychologist shall, with a client’s or patient’s written consent, provide access to or a copy of the client’s or patient’s record, including raw test data and other information as provided by law to the client or patient or the client’s or patient’s health care decision maker unless the release violates copyright or other laws or violates one of the standards incorporated by reference at R4-26-301.

C. A psychologist may deny a request to provide access to or a copy of a client’s or patient’s record if the psychologist determines:

1. Access by the client or patient is reasonably likely to endanger the life or physical safety of the client or patient or another person;

2. The record makes reference to a person other than a health professional and access by the client or patient or the client’s or patient’s health care decision maker is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to that other person;

3. Access by the client’s or patient’s health care decision maker is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to the client or patient or another person;

4. Access by the client or patient or the client’s or patient’s health care decision maker will reveal information obtained under a promise of confidentiality with someone other than a health professional and access is reasonably likely to reveal the source of the information; or

5. Access by the client or patient or the client’s or patient’s health care decision maker may result in misuse or misrepresentation of the information and potentially harm the client or patient.

D. Without a client’s or patient’s consent, a psychologist shall release the client’s or patient’s raw test data only to the extent required by law or under court order compelling production.

E. A psychologist shall retain all client or patient records under the psychologist’s control, including records of a client or patient who died, for at least six years from the date of the last client or patient activity. If a client or patient is a minor, the psychologist shall retain all client or patient records for at least three years past the client’s or patient’s 18th birthday or six years from the date of the last client or patient activity, whichever is longer.

F. Audio or video tapes created primarily for training or supervisory purposes are exempt from the requirement of subsection (E).

G. A psychologist who is notified by the Board or municipal, state, or federal officials of an investigation or pending case shall retain all records relating to that investigation or case until the psychologist receives written notice that the investigation is completed, the case is closed, or the matter has been fully adjudicated.

H. The provisions of this Section apply to all psychologists including a psychologist who is on inactive status under A.R.S. § 32-2073 (G).

I. A psychologist may retain client or patient records in electronic form. The psychologist shall ensure that client or patient records in electronic form are legible, stored securely, and an electronic backup copy is maintained.

R4-26-107

A. The Board shall communicate with a psychologist using the contact information provided to the Board. To ensure timely communication from the Board, a psychologist shall notify the Board, in writing, within 30 days of any change of name, mailing, residential, or e-mail address (giving both the old and new addresses), or residential, business, or mobile telephone number.

B. A psychologist who reports a name change shall submit to the Board legal documentation that substantiates the name change.

C. A psychologist’s failure to receive a renewal notice or other mail that the Board sends to the most recent address on file with the Board office does not excuse an untimely license renewal or the omission of any other action required by the psychologist.

R4-26-108

A. As specifically authorized by A.R.S. § 32-2067(A), the Board establishes and shall collect the following fees:

C. Except as provided by law, including A.R.S. § 41-1077, the fees listed in subsection (A) are not refundable.

R4-26-201

A. The Board shall consider a license application at the Board’s next scheduled meeting if an administratively complete application packet, including reference forms mailed or e-mailed from the Board office, is received by the Board office at least 18 days before the date of the meeting.

B. The Board shall consider a license application that is received fewer than 18 days before a scheduled meeting at a subsequent meeting.

R4-26-202

The Board shall apply the following criteria to determine whether a doctoral program provided by an institution of higher education met the standards in A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(2) at the time an applicant began the degree program:

1. The program is identified and labeled as a psychology program if there were institutional catalogues and brochures that specified the intent of the institution of higher education to educate and train psychologists;

2. The program stands as a recognized, coherent organizational entity if there was an organized sequence of courses comprising a psychology curriculum; and

3. The program has clearly identified entry and exit criteria within its psychology curriculum if there were specific prerequisites for entrance into the program and delineated requirements for graduation.

B. The Board shall verify that an applicant completed the hours in the subject areas described in A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(4). For this purpose, the applicant shall have the institution of higher education that the applicant attended provide directly to the Board an official transcript of all courses taken and verification of the dissertation or similar project.

1. The Board may require additional documentation from the applicant or from the institution to determine whether the applicant satisfied the requirements of A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(4).

2. The Board shall count five quarter hours or six trimester hours as the equivalent of three semester hours, as required under A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(4). When an academic term is other than a semester, quarter, or trimester, 15 classroom contact hours equals one semester hour.

C. To determine whether a comprehensive examination taken by an applicant as part of a doctoral program in psychology satisfies the requirements of A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(4), the Board shall review documentation provided directly to the Board by the institution of higher education that granted the doctoral degree, that demonstrates how the applicant’s comprehensive examination was constructed, lists criteria for passing, and provides the information used to determine that the applicant passed.

D. The Board shall not accept as core program hours required under A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(4) credit:

2. Transferred from institutions that are not accredited under A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(1); or

3. For seminars, readings courses, or independent study unless the applicant proves that the course was an in-depth study devoted to a particular core program content area by submitting one or more of the following:

a. Course description in the official catalogue of the institution of higher education,

b. Course syllabus, or

c. Signed statement from a dean or psychology department head affirming that the course was an in-depth study devoted to a particular core program content area.

E. The Board shall count a course or comprehensive examination only once to satisfy a requirement of A.R.S. § 32-2071(A)(4).

F. An honorary doctorate degree does not qualify an applicant for licensure as a psychologist.

Use the portal to complete the online renewal application or to pay your license issuance or renewal fee.

We do not have an online application for new applicants. New Psychologist and Behavior Analyst applicants must complete a PDF application. Please visit the application page appropriate to your profession for further information and to download forms, including the Universal Recogntion applications.

Applications may be emailed to the Board's office. Initial application fees cannot be paid online. Application fees may be paid by check or money order via mail or delivery.

INITIAL ISSUANCE OF LICENSE (Does not apply to Renewals):

Approved Applicants may pay the initial license fee by check, money order by mail. The initial license fee may be paid by credit card online ONLY until the due date listed in your approval letter. Approved applicants who wish to pay the initial license fee by credit card using the online portal must first call or email the Board office. The initial license fee will appear in the applicant's secure shopping cart only after staff assistance. Call 602-542-8161 or 602-542-8163 or email [email protected] for assistance.

Initial license fees can be paid online by credit card ONLY until the due date listed on the approval letter. After the due date, due to technical limitations, initial license fees must be paid by check or money order.

BA RULES EFFECTIVE December 12, 2018

A new, revised Behavior Analyst application which conforms to the new Rules is now available on the Application Forms page. If the BA application form you are completing does not have a revision date of 06/2019, you will need to download the new application. Previous versions are not accepted.